QUEENSRYCHE DRUMMER ROCKENFIELD ON THE TWO VERSIONS OF THE BAND: “IT HAS CAUSED CONFUSION HAVING TWO BANDS WITH THE SAME NAME”

Ruben Mosqueda of the Oregon Music News spoke with Queensryche drummer Scott Rockenfield. Portions of the interview appear below.

OMN: What’s your take on the current rift in the fan base? It seems like the majority of the fans have chosen sides.

SR: It has caused confusion having two bands out there using the same name. We feel very confident that we have done the best thing for the band and also what the fans have been wanting from the band. We feel so good about what we’ve done and the response that we’ve had with the record. It was just released the day before yesterday and the response has been overwhelming. The fans are really enjoying what we’re doing—whether they want to choose sides that’s not really important. We just continue to get more support and people really seem to enjoy what we’re doing. We feel good about that.

OMN: I don’t foresee this taking place but if you lost the right to use the Queensryche name would you revisit Rising West at that point?

SR: [long pause] We don’t focus on that possibility—we’re living in the now. If that were to happen I don’t have a confirmation of what we would do in terms of what we’d call ourselves. I can tell you no matter what happens we’ll still continue to make music because the five of us have something—we feel so great about it and we’re having such a great time. That can’t stop us and nobody can take that away from us. That’s a confirmed thing that we own now—which is our chemistry together. We know it so well. I do believe that the right choice will be made in November which will be the best decision for Queensryche. Hopefully that’s the case, right?

OMN: Scott, I’m going to run down the Queensryche back catalog of studio albums and I’d like you to give me one word that describes each album.

SR: Okay let’s do it!

OMN: The Warning

SR: I’d probably have to say “energetic.”

OMN: Rage for Order

SR: Vampires!

OMN: Operation:Mindcrime

SR: Epic.

OMN: Empire

SR: Success.

OMN: Promised Land

SR: The best.

OMN: Hear in the Now Frontier

SR: Transition.

OMN: Q2K

SR: Transition.

OMN: Tribe

SR: Unique.

OMN: Operation:Mindcrime II

SR: Pass!

Take Cover

SR: Fun!

OMN: American Soldier

SR: Interesting.

OMN: Dedicated to Chaos

SR: [long pause] I’ll give you four words for this one: “Time to move on.”

8 Responses

Don’t worry about fans getting confused Scott. Everyone knows the version that sounds like shit and belittles its fans is Geoff’s version. And the one with good songs and a respect for the past and a singer that can actually sing is your version. Congrats on the new record.

I support QR both versions i know i might get hated for saying this but i dont care.Im just a fan i liked everything they’ve put out even the Transition albums, i just enjoy this band alltogether.Nothing wrong with some new QR music esp 2 albums in a year!! Keep rockin guys all the best….

Queensryche was one of my favorites. There WAS a magical nature to their music. Without Geoff, Chris, Michael, Scott, and Eddie all together it will never be the same. The three remaining members should change their name and Geoff should just call himself the Geoff Tate band and let the name Queensryche go with the breakup.

Fans will take sides but the real loser in the whole thing is the fans of this once great band. The fight over the name shows that it is all about the past and commercializing on a period of time when no one was better.

My hope is the five of them all get in a room and figure out a way to save their legacy by becoming Queensryche again. If this impossible, the band is dead.

When Geoff’s version came out I thought it was this version. I thought, that guy sounds just like Geoff, well it was Geoff!! haha. I like both versions and I shuffle both albums together on my music player. It’s like a double album of awesome music. Great that they hit #23 in the charts. Metal is still alive!!